The disposal of large quantities of toxic materials such as high level radioactive wastes stored in spent reactor storage pools, or generated in the reprocessing of spent nuclear reactor fuel, or generated in the operation and maintenance of nuclear power plants, is a problem of considerable importance to the utilization of nuclear power. It is generally accepted that the most promising approach is to convert these radioactive wastes to a dry solid form which would render such wastes chemically and thermally stable.
The problem of dry solid stability of radioactive wastes is related to the safety of human life on earth. For example, radioactive wastes usually contain the isotopes Sr.sup.90, Pu.sup.239, and Cs.sup.137 whose half lives are 28 years, 24,000 years, and 30 years, respectively. These isotopes alone pose a significant threat to life and must be put into a dry, solid form which is stable for thousands of years. Any solid radioactive waste package must be able to keep the radioactive isotopes immobilized for this length of time, preferably even in the presence of an aqueous environment. The radioactive wastes are produced in high volumes and contain long-lived, intermediate-lived, and short-lived radioactive ions and some non-radioactive ions.
The two most popular types of commercial reactors, both of which produce low level wastes, are the Boiling Water Reactor (B.W.R.) and the Pressurized Water Reactor (P.W.R.). In a typical Pressurized Water Reactor (P.W.R.), pressurized light water circulates through the reactor core (heat source) to an external heat sink (steam generator). In the steam generator, where primary and secondary fluids are separated by impervious surfaces to prevent contamination, heat is transferred from the pressurized primary coolant to secondary coolant water to form steam for driving turbines to generate electricity. In a typical Boiling Water Reactor (B.W.R.), light water circulates through the reactor core (heat source) where it boils to form steam that passes to an external heat sink (turbine and condenser). In both reactor types, the primary coolant from the heat sink is purified and recycled to the heat source.
The primary coolant and dissolved impurities are activated by neutron interactions. Materials enter the primary coolant through corrosion of the fuel elements, reactor vessel, piping, and equipment. Activation of these corrosion products adds radioactive nuclides to the primary coolant. Corrosion inhibitors, such as lithium, are added to the reactor water. These chemicals are activated and add radionuclides to the primary coolant. Fission products diffuse or leak from fuel elements and add nuclides to the primary coolant. Radioactive materials from all these sources are transported around the system and appear in other parts of the plant through leaks and vents as well as in the effluent streams from processes used to treat the primary coolant. The mitigation of these normal engineering process leaks gives rise to a substantial volume of low and intermediate level wastes.
On the other hand, the dissolution in nitric acid of the spent nuclear reactor fuel generates the so-called "high level radioactive nuclear waste liquids" which must eventually be solidified. Both of these types of radioactive wastes--high and low level--present problems in regard to transportation, disposal, storage, and immobilization of the same.
The present invention is directed to a novel article, i.e., a secondary "container" or retarder for containerizing and storing radioactive solids primarily containing cesium, strontium, and actinide ions as well as novel processes for making such "containers" and storing such radioactive solids.